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Do you think parents should teach their kids how to count calories?
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »He did gain a bit over the first winter when he moved to Seattle (from sunny San Jose, CA) but worked that out with some extra gym time.
Haha I live in Seattle and everyone I know gains 10ish lbs in the winter an loses it in the summer. The rainy season is no joke!0 -
I don't think it matters either way.
I started counting calories at 11 or 12. I was overweight and my mother (and doctor) were okay with me counting calories. I lost the weight, but years later I gained weight. Then, this started a yo-yo cycle of me losing and regaining weight.
So here's the thing: counting calories doesn't fix whatever is causing a child/teen/adult/whoever to be overweight/obese. I've pretty much always understood about calories, but counting calories and knowing how to do so is a tool for losing weight.
It doesn't address the problems that cause the weight gain. I think this is why a lot of people regain weight they've lost. It's not enough to understand how to lose weight or maintain it. You have to address the issue that is causing the weight gain in the first place.
Not everyone has some great underlying issues that causes them to gain weight. I never had a weight problem growing up...I was a competitive athlete from 2nd grade through my senior year in multiple sports...after high school I went into the military and was in a combat ready unit and we were required to keep in good shape...when I went back to school afterwards, I remained pretty active since I didn't own a car for much of that time and walked and biked everywhere...worked retail or waited tables during the school year and did landscape construction in the summer.
I put on weight when I graduated college and took a job at a CPA firm working 12 hour days, 6 days per week and my activity level substantially decreased...but my eating remained pretty much the same. I didn't know much about calories, but I did know that I was eating more than I needed to given my activity level...I just didn't care.1 -
IMO calorie counting takes the back burner when it comes to children, that's something the parent should be worrying about. The main thing a child needs to be taught is that they need to be active ON A DAILY BASIS.1
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No, but like many others have said, teach them portion control and to eat healthy.0
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toned_thugs_n_harmony wrote: »IMO calorie counting takes the back burner when it comes to children, that's something the parent should be worrying about. The main thing a child needs to be taught is that they need to be active ON A DAILY BASIS.
Exactly this ^^^
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Using the financial analogy do you plan on teaching your children to not spend more than they make and run into debt? I'm failing to grasp the logic behind not teaching your children to eat more than they need.
Anyone can take things to an extreme, but this is reliant on how the subject is taught as opposed to the subject matter itself.
Agreed.
I think people are confusing teaching a concept with making the kid manage their own weight by accounting for every last calorie they eat.
Reading a nutritional label and the concept of eating an amount of energy appropriate for activity can be taught without ever having the child apply it to their own diet if that seems inappropriate. Make the teacher's diet the example. Use a famous athlete and their diet. Make a diet up out of thin air if you want to get even more abstract with it. Let the kid use some fad diet as a template and have them determine whether it is appropriate or not for the model you choose.
Lots of ways to teach without making it about the kids' current diet and activities.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I don't think it matters either way.
I started counting calories at 11 or 12. I was overweight and my mother (and doctor) were okay with me counting calories. I lost the weight, but years later I gained weight. Then, this started a yo-yo cycle of me losing and regaining weight.
So here's the thing: counting calories doesn't fix whatever is causing a child/teen/adult/whoever to be overweight/obese. I've pretty much always understood about calories, but counting calories and knowing how to do so is a tool for losing weight.
It doesn't address the problems that cause the weight gain. I think this is why a lot of people regain weight they've lost. It's not enough to understand how to lose weight or maintain it. You have to address the issue that is causing the weight gain in the first place.
Not everyone has some great underlying issues that causes them to gain weight. I never had a weight problem growing up...I was a competitive athlete from 2nd grade through my senior year in multiple sports...after high school I went into the military and was in a combat ready unit and we were required to keep in good shape...when I went back to school afterwards, I remained pretty active since I didn't own a car for much of that time and walked and biked everywhere...worked retail or waited tables during the school year and did landscape construction in the summer.
I put on weight when I graduated college and took a job at a CPA firm working 12 hour days, 6 days per week and my activity level substantially decreased...but my eating remained pretty much the same. I didn't know much about calories, but I did know that I was eating more than I needed to given my activity level...I just didn't care.
I don't think it has to be some "great underlying issue". Eating to the point of being overweight/obese and not caring or doing anything about it is in itself an issue, imo.3 -
Diet, nutrition and parenting is a big deal, and hard to know how to handle. I've read many articles one people blaming their parents (particularly mothers) for their eating disorders and/or obesity. This blame is justified. So as a parent, what do I do?
I've tried to emphasize not eating additional food when already full, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, being active, not over indulging on "treat" or "sometimes" foods, etc. I don't ever comment on my own body negatively in front of them (my husband will call himself fat in front of them which makes me angry, especially since he's not "fat" but just a few pounds over where he'd like to be). I rarely comment on their bodies (I have said they are too skinny sometimes and I know I shouldn't). They do see me measure my food and I've explained that food is energy measured in calories, and that if you eat too much your body will store it for later in the form of fat and that I just like to know how much energy I am eating. I hope I am doing it "right" but no one is perfect.3 -
BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »Diet, nutrition and parenting is a big deal, and hard to know how to handle. I've read many articles one people blaming their parents (particularly mothers) for their eating disorders and/or obesity. This blame is justified. So as a parent, what do I do?
I've tried to emphasize not eating additional food when already full, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, being active, not over indulging on "treat" or "sometimes" foods, etc. I don't ever comment on my own body negatively in front of them (my husband will call himself fat in front of them which makes me angry, especially since he's not "fat" but just a few pounds over where he'd like to be). I rarely comment on their bodies (I have said they are too skinny sometimes and I know I shouldn't). They do see me measure my food and I've explained that food is energy measured in calories, and that if you eat too much your body will store it for later in the form of fat and that I just like to know how much energy I am eating. I hope I am doing it "right" but no one is perfect.
Blaming is not a constructive activity if it doesn't result in a correction, corrective, or preventive action. Most parents did the best job they could with the tools and information at hand at that time. Our job is to take that information and improve upon the past.
The simple fact that you are involved with your children's lives and explaining it to your children makes it "right" from any perspective.4 -
toned_thugs_n_harmony wrote: »IMO calorie counting takes the back burner when it comes to children, that's something the parent should be worrying about. The main thing a child needs to be taught is that they need to be active ON A DAILY BASIS.
you forget however...you can be active and still gain weight...aka "you can't out run a bad diet"...I hate that term but you get what I mean.
That is why it's important to teach them other things not just calorie counting.
health, serving size etc.2 -
Judging by the number of people on here who are against teaching their kids about CICO. I'm going to go ahead and predict a rise in obesity.4
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I don't think children, even late teenagers (possibly even adults) are mentally stable enough to be able to count calories and not cause an eating disorder if they have an sort of emotional relationship with food or their weight.4
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Judging by the number of people on here who are against teaching their kids about CICO. I'm going to go ahead and predict a rise in obesity.
That's not an outrageous prediction, seeing as obesity rates have risen steadily year on year in the US since 1970, with rates of obesity projected to rise as high as 45% by 2030
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
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I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.2 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.
Because my kid is active, loves sport, and isn't obese.
If the parents are responsible for their kids being obese, then surely they are also responsible for their kids not being obese
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ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.
Because my kid is active, loves sport, and isn't obese.
If the parents are responsible for their kids being obese, then surely they are also responsible for their kids not being obese
Ok, if your kid already loves sports I get it. It read as a prediction origionally.
But, I know plenty of active people who are obese, whether it's just age caught up to them, or life/injury caused a decrease in activity and they still ate like they were active or younger.1 -
toned_thugs_n_harmony wrote: »IMO calorie counting takes the back burner when it comes to children, that's something the parent should be worrying about. The main thing a child needs to be taught is that they need to be active ON A DAILY BASIS.
you forget however...you can be active and still gain weight...aka "you can't out run a bad diet"...I hate that term but you get what I mean.
That is why it's important to teach them other things not just calorie counting.
health, serving size etc.
very true but i personally feel like that responsibility falls on the parents. i mean, obviously depending on the childs age, but if the child isn't making their own meals, they shouldn't need to be worrying about the correct portion size or calorie count in it. YOU as a parent provide your child with a healthy meal of the correct portion size. That's a tough thing for kids to grasp. However, "get outside and play" is something every child should have no problem comprehending.3 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.
Because my kid is active, loves sport, and isn't obese.
If the parents are responsible for their kids being obese, then surely they are also responsible for their kids not being obese
Ok, if your kid already loves sports I get it. It read as a prediction origionally.
But, I know plenty of active people who are obese, whether it's just age caught up to them, or life/injury caused a decrease in activity and they still ate like they were active or younger.
And I know plenty of people who understand CICO and are obese. And plenty who don't who are in good shape
I think there are way too many variables to argue either case with 100% conviction TBH - genetics, psychological makeup, etc. Just because you teach your kids CICO doesn't mean they won't be obese, and just because i won't teach mine doesn't mean they will be obese. And vice versa2 -
cturner1967 wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »That's nice in theory, but some people don't get the normal "you're full" signals due to hormonal issues.
Yes, great in theory. Thank you Susan for your comment.
I hope that you remove your comment. It is incredibly hurtful and insensitive.xmichaelyx wrote: »Obese child = abusive parent.
Does anyone here actually have children with weight-related health issues? I do. I have a child who grows twice as fast as other children and who is carrying +40 lbs too much at 10 years old. We are desperately trying to get to the bottom of it. She is starving all the time and eats healthier than all of her peers. We have been to doctors and are working with a personal trainer to try to get a calorie deficit.
I doubt the poster was referring to the parents of children who have medical conditions like producing too much growth hormone. Hope you get to the bottom of this! Are you seeing a specialist?
I'm a little confused because I don't know how literally you meant "grows twice as fast as other children". Obviously if she is dealing with a condition like acromegaly she'll need more treatment than a calorie deficit. But you might have been referring to her growth figuratively. And I assumed you meant growing vertically, which may have been a mistake on my part.0 -
ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.
Because my kid is active, loves sport, and isn't obese.
If the parents are responsible for their kids being obese, then surely they are also responsible for their kids not being obese
Ok, if your kid already loves sports I get it. It read as a prediction origionally.
But, I know plenty of active people who are obese, whether it's just age caught up to them, or life/injury caused a decrease in activity and they still ate like they were active or younger.
And I know plenty of people who understand CICO and are obese. And plenty who don't who are in good shape
I think there are way too many variables to argue either case with 100% conviction TBH - genetics, psychological makeup, etc. Just because you teach your kids CICO doesn't mean they won't be obese, and just because i won't teach mine doesn't mean they will be obese. And vice versa
You quite clearly said earlier your kids will not be obease.0
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